1. Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate to the field of data propagation, and more particularly, to sequential transmission of data using multiple data formats.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of autonomous and otherwise complex equipment continues to proliferate in hostile environments, for example in theaters of combat. Processing of telemetry among such equipment is essential to coordinate mission objectives. It therefore is essential that the equipment effectively communicate in such environments.
Current state of the art of telemetry processing involves grouping measurements, such as pressure, speed, temperature, etc., into a format that can be transmitted in a single commutated bitstream. A static number of such formats are typically available, with each format being optimized for a particular data requirement. A client receiving the commutated bitstream can utilize pre-defined format definitions to separate the commutated bitstream into original measurement components for analysis. When new measurements or combinations of existing measurements are required, additional formats or format modifications need to be added both to a data source generating the commutated bitstream and to clients receiving the bitstream.
Commutated data streams are sometimes implemented in ad-hoc communications systems, which are dynamic in nature. Sources and clients join and leave the network as required. However, updating of commutation format definitions typically requires human intervention, which can greatly inhibit the dynamic nature of ad-hoc communications systems.